Playing with Fire
by FlowerBomb
Summary: You'll find, Tsukushi, that death is the only thing to which there is no escape, and love will be the only thing able to protect us when death comes. Is Being Rewritten!
1. Eclipse

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Playing with Fire

Prologue: Eclipse

Disclaimer: Hana Yori Dango and its characters do not belong to me.

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4:30 A.M. Eastern Time…New York, New York

The building stood tall, its shadow covering the many smaller buildings next to it. The windows were tinted, allowing no outsiders to see what went on inside. Mysterious, foreboding, elegant, these were all adjectives, which described the large building perfectly.

On top floor of the building lies a large glass room. It occupants blurred by the peculiar glass which protects its many secrets. What really went on inside, no one knew, the secrets lay hidden underneath the many files, papers, and documents.

The lights shined through the glass room, the only source of light throughout the whole top floor. Inside, a beautiful woman stared out the window at the city below, her head tilted back to lean against the back of her leather office chair. She waited patiently; her fingers wrapped together and lied softly above her crossed legs.

She turned her attention back towards the door when she heard light footsteps approaching. Step. Pause. Step. Pause. Step. Pause. The almost inaudible noise of the light footsteps echoed throughout the top floor. The woman stared expectantly for the door to open, her eyebrow cocked as she saw the doorknob turning.

Through the darkness that lied just outside the door, a shadow of a young woman stood, confidently yet almost hesitant outside the door.

"What are you waiting for?" The woman said, waiting for the figure to enter the room.

This woman was Sakura Shiji, the queen of the Shiji Clan. The law. The word of justice or injustice. The ruler of the world, on top of everybody and everything. This, this was Sakura Shiji. She was as beautiful as she always had been, her eyes burnt with fire, her hair still the same light brown yet it now streaked with a light gray due to the passing years.

She looked at the young woman who just entered the room, her eyes traveling over the young woman's body suspiciously. She sighed inwardly when she saw that the young woman had returned, unharmed and well.

"You are still angry, Mistress?" The young woman said with a smile, her eyes vibrant even at the odd hour to which their meeting took place.

This, this was Tsukushi Makino, the young, the vibrant, and the feared Tsukushi Makino.

Her hair, which used to be long, was now short due to her passing missions. If mission was what you could call it. She was beautiful, graceful, and peppy. But that was what she seemed like to the untrained eye. Below the beautiful teenage girl was a deadly assassin, ready to kill and strike at any unsuspecting prey.

No one would have thought that the vibrant, charming young woman that was Tsukushi Makino would be the world's top assassin. Tsukushi Makino, the name used by her peers, her elders, her friends, and all the other unknowing and innocent people. She was known as Eclipse by the underworld.

Tsukushi stared expectantly at her Mistress, her life source, and her savoir. But could anyone really call Sakura a savior, the answer was "No". No one could ever consider the "Queen" as anyone's savior. That was not what Sakura was all about; she could care less about the poor, the sick, and the hungry. But Tsukushi had always saw Sakura as her savior and the mother she never had. In everyway, Tsukushi hated Sakura but in everyway,

Tsukushi also loved Sakura.

"No, I'm not mad."

"I'm sorry for leaving; I had something to take care of." Tsukushi said with a light bow.

"No one can blame you. Come here, sweetheart."

Tsukushi approached Sakura confidently, her eyes softening when she saw what was left of the woman she had always saw as her mother. The woman who saved her from the world, this Sakura was just an empty shell of what used to be her "mother".

Tsukushi stood next to Sakura and kneeled down, letting her head rest on the older woman's lap. Sakura looked down at Tsukushi and smiled; she then gently stroked Tsukushi's hair.

"I was worried. Next time tell me where you are going ok?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"Dear, don't call me 'Mistress'. It sounds so distant, call me 'Mother'."

"Yes, Mother."

An outsider who looked in this scene would have said "aw" or "how sweet", but this was nothing near the words "aw" or "how sweet". This situation was nowhere near that. This was not some loving family scene, where a mother cared for her daughter; this scene was so much more than that. This was something unspoken and forbidden; this was the relationship between Sakura and Tsukushi.

****

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10:00 A.M. Standard Time….Tokyo, Japan

Tsukasa sat up groaning more out of habit then of irritation. His eyes squinted when the light from the sun, just lying on the other side of the curtain peaked into the room. He stared remorsefully at his room. It was a complete wreck. All of the vases and expensive furniture were destroyed. The pieces of his destruction lied quietly on the cold floor of the room.

He rubbed the back of his head slowly, the signs of a hangover. He stepped out of bed, wincing when his bare feet touched the cold wooden floor. He grabbed a robe from next to his bed, wrapped it around his half-naked body and made his way towards the bathroom.

The same routine every morning, except today, he was blessed with a hangover from his two idiot best friends. Hangovers were a normal when hanging out with Akira and Soujirou; it was something to be expected the morning after.

He walked into the bathroom and stared at his reflection in the mirror. The eyes of the man who stared back at him was something he would never forget. Some say that the eyes are the window to the soul. What if your eyes were anything but a window? Maybe a door or a brick wall but Tsukasa's eyes were never a window. And he made sure of that, he made sure that he could never be read, never be understood, and never be predicted.

He sighed and rubbed his face with his hands wearily, he then took off his boxers **(AN: 0.o) **and walked towards the steaming shower. He relaxed as the hot water hit his body, the steam engulfing his madness and his fears. This was what red madness was about, it was the feeling of fear, but having no clue what one fears.

After about twenty minutes of soaking in the hot water, Tsukasa emerged from the shower wet- his hair straightened- and relaxed. He grabbed a towel from the rack and dried himself off. Putting a new robe on, he opened the bathroom door and made his way to his walk-in closet, picking out an outfit for today.

After all, today was another day and he never knew what lied ahead. Maybe today was another day of more red tags and watching those pathetic little freaks suffer. Maybe today would be the same as everyday.

This man was Tsukasa Doumyouji, someone who like the rest of his family loved to be on top, in charge and powerful. His word was law and he knew it. He could be described as the 18 year old who owned the world. Someone who every one admired and at the same time feared. A complicated human being living without a care of what the outside world was really like. What suffer, pain was, and living without a clue what love was.

And no matter how much he tried to deny it, Tsukasa Doumyouji was not fulfilled, he was not completed and he was not happy.

****

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Same time…Tokyo, Japan

Rui turned slightly in his sleep, his eyes closed, and his face as calm and beautiful as an angel. He lied quiet, oblivious to the light surrounding his room. He lied on his bed, emotionless and cold. Almost dead. Maybe that was what Rui Hanazawa was. Dead.

Maybe he was pretending to be asleep right now, to run away from the world, to run away from everything. Maybe sleep was his train ticket out of his problems. But Rui Hanazawa was not one to run away. He might have been the one in trouble that couldn't care less about what was going on. But right now, Rui Hanazawa _was_pretending to be asleep. Right now, Rui Hanazawa _was _running away from the world.

Right now, he wanted to stay in the comfort of bed, in the comfort of isolation. Because Rui

Hanazawa would never admit that he was tired, tired of being indifferent, tired of waiting for something to happen. He was just tired. And with that thought, Rui drifted back into slumber, not giving a care what date today was, what time it was, or what he could do if he just got out of bed. He didn't care about anything but sleeping right now.

****

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Same Time….Tokyo, Japan

Maybe this morning, Soujirou and Akira found themselves in the same situation. That was sleeping with an anonymous woman or sometimes women in the top suite at the top hotel in Tokyo.

And that was exactly what happened.

Akira was trapped in bed with a nameless woman in her mid thirties, probably married due to the large diamond ring on her ring finger. Maybe he just met her last night. He couldn't recall her name. He couldn't even recall how he got here.

He quietly got out of bed, careful not to wake up the older woman. This was the thing about older women; they were never the morning type. He slipped on his clothes and walked out the door. No need to wake her up, she wasn't remarkably beautiful anyways. He could always find something better to play with for the next few weeks.

In another hotel, Soujirou sat in bed wearily rubbing his right cheek. These girls always expected more from him, they always expected more than he could give. He couldn't give them love; he couldn't give them anything more than sex.

Sex. That was the word. It was never making love; it was always just meaningless sex.

Soujirou sighed as he stood up to put his clothes back on. It was always like this. They would get mad when he told them their time was up. It was as if all of them thought they would be the one to change him. It was as if they hoped to be the one that he would love for the rest of his life. Pathetic really, they were all just there for a good fuck. They were his toys until he got bored of them. And that was really all any of them could expect.

Akira and Soujirou lived them same way, they always had someone in their arms. Someone who they could have meaningless sex with. They were never alone and refused to be alone. But the truth was, they feared loneliness and above all, no matter what amount of girls they had in bed with them at night. The next day, they would still be lonely. That was the truth. Both of these playboys were lonely, but neither would ever admit that.

****

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9:00 A.M. Eastern time….New York, New York

Tsukushi sat quietly in the living room of her pent house, waiting patiently for Sakura to speak up. Waiting quietly for Sakura to tell her what to do next.

"Sweetheart, I want you to do something for me."

Tsukushi did not reply, instead she stared at Sakura's back, waiting for her "mother" to continue.

"I want you to go back to Japan."

Sakura turned her attention away from the window of the large window facing Central Park and walked to where Tsukushi was sitting.

"I want you to meet someone."

"I'm sorry for interrupting, Mother, but I'm going to meet someone?"

"Be quiet and I will explain." Sakura hissed, her eyes looking at Tsukushi as if she was the crudest person in the world. Tsukushi upon seeing this could only nod in reply.

"I want you to meet Tsukasa Doumyouji."

Tsukushi's brain racked to know why that name sounded so familiar. She was sure she has heard of it before.

"I'm sure you have heard the Doumyouji's."

"The Doumyouji Empire, richest family in Japan, head of Doumyouji Corp. is Kenichi

Doumyouji; his wife is Kaede Masami…"

Tsukushi's voice slowly faded out, her speech came to stop when she realized why she had to meet Tsukasa Doumyouji.

"I see you've done your homework."

'Apparently I've done my homework. Of course I've done my homework.' Tsukushi thought bitterly and she looked away from her mother's back.

"You will be leaving for Japan in two hours. I advice you get to packing."

Tsukushi nodded slowly as she bowed to her mother, escorting her out the door. She sighed when she closed the door after her mother's retreating back. Packing was never really packing when it came to her. She didn't really need the clothes; she had more than enough money to buy a new wardrobe everywhere she went.

No, packing was more like "prepare to kill" or make sure you bring all the weapons. But "packing" just sounded more normal.

She looked up at the clock sitting on the wall. 11:00 o'clock. Time to get some business done before she leaves.

****

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4:00 P.M. Standard Time….Tokyo, Japan

Soujirou waited patiently in the fancy restaurant. Holding his drink in his hand and swirling around the contents of the wine glass. Leave it up to those other three to be late when he said it was urgent. He looked up from his reflection in the glass when he felt someone sit down next to him.

"Sorry man, did I make you wait long?"

"No."

"Where are Tsukasa and Rui?"

"Late."

Just as Soujirou said that, the other two members of the F4 sat down. Rui who was dragged by Tsukasa the whole way here was threw into a seat where the latter leaned his head on the back of the chair and slept soundly.

"What do you need?" Tsukasa said as he took Soujirou's glass and drinking the remaining liquid in the glass.

"We haven't seen each other in a while that's all."

"What are you talking about? We were just drinking last night."

"Oh, yeah."

"Why are we really here?"

"I was bored."

"What the fuck? We are here because you were bored?" Tsukasa said slamming his hand on the table.

"Does it really matter? You virgins don't really have anything better to do with your time anyways." Soujirou said as he winked to Akira.

Tsukasa's forehead popped a vein as he reached out and grabbed Soujirou's collar pulling his fist back, ready to punch the latter.

Just then, Rui reached out to get a menu, interrupting the chaos at the table.

"Eh? Rui weren't you asleep?" Soujirou said peeking over Tsukasa's shoulder.

"Yeah but I'm hungry now."

The group sweat dropped and Tsukasa set Soujirou back down and fixed his now crinkled shirt also getting another menu. The situation was brushed off as the group chatted merrily.

If only they knew, they were being watched from the corner.

****

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11:45 A.M. Eastern Time…New York, New York

Tsukushi stood on the roof of the building, waiting silently. Watching and waiting. The sun shone in her eyes as she stood with her heels on the ledge of the balcony. It would be almost impossible to get a shot from this far up but she was Eclipse, the black sun. There was nothing she couldn't do.

She smiled lightly to herself when she saw her target approaching not far from the building where she stood. Step. Thump. Step. Thump. She could hear his heartbeat with every footstep he took. As if the man felt her intense gaze, he turned his head around and looked towards her direction.

"You're not going to be able to see me." Tsukushi said as she followed the man with her gun.

He waited for his driver to open the door, walking into the car. He sat down. This could hardly be seen from where Tsukushi was standing but that was only to the untrained eye.

She set the gun on silencer and aimed.

Shoot. The gun was shot and Tsukushi silently packed her gun and made her way out of the building.

In the car, the man was dead, his head now engraved with a bullet hole. The driver looked at the rear view mirror and let out a scream as he saw his boss bloody and dead in the back of the car.

He stopped the car and pulled to the side. A commotion started when he called for help, people started to gather. And not far form the chaos, a janitor walked out of the gates of the building for his "lunch".

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12:00 P.M. Standard Time..…Tokyo, Japan

"Guys, did you hear the news?"

"What news?"

"Edward Winston of the British Embassy was shot today walking out of his apartment in New York."

"And?"

"They think that the assassin is a janitor from Tsukasa's company building."

"Mine? The Doumyouji Corporation in New York?" Tsukasa said as he looked at Soujirou with a cocked eyebrow.

"Yeah. They think it is someone from your building. Now some people are calling it a scandal. Newspapers." Soujirou said with a scoff.

"Why are you so interested?"

"I don't know. It's just odd. The Doumyouji's buildings were always very heavily guarded."

"Let's talk about something else. So what are we going to do tonight?" Akira said, quickly changing the subject to something much more interesting. The F4 discussed their plans still clueless about the fact that they were being watched.

In another place, a jet plane quietly landed the grounds of Japan. A figure of a young woman walked out. She carried herself with dignity and grace as she slowly walked off the plane. Placing a hat on her head and a pair of dark glasses to cover her face, she made her way to the car waiting for her.

She placed her luggage in the car and drove off. Taking off her wig and putting on her make up, she made herself more comfortable.

"Tsukasa Doumyouji."

The words repeated over and over in her mind as she drove down the crowded streets of Tokyo.

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11:00 P.M. Standard Time….Tokyo, Japan

The club was filled as the crowd of people outside the door tried to push their way in. Inside, people danced wildly to the jumpy beat and the rhythm of the music echoed throughout the club.

Tsukasa looked at the bimbos crowding around their table trying desperately to get their attention with disgust. He couldn't stand those kind of women. Though he would never admit it, he had to give it to Akira and Soujirou for always keeping up with women like that.

He froze when a young woman touched him, his scowl slowly turning into a cold mask. He slapped her hand away as if it stung his skin at her touch and threw his drink on her, yelling at her for touching him. The woman looked surprised than slowly her face turned into a frown as tear crept out of the corners of her eyes.

Security came after that and everybody was ushered away, leaving the F4 alone once again.

The group talked quietly amongst themselves as the women around them eyed them hungrily. Rui seemed out of the conversation, his eyes looking out the window of the club. He held his breathe and his eyes widened when he saw someone walk in.

This did not go unnoticed by Akira and Soujirou; they turned their head toward the direction that Rui was looking. They also held their breathe, Tsukasa who was still clueless about this situation could only cock his eyebrow dumbly and looked over Soujirou's shoulder to see what had caught the trio's eyes.

His eyes bulged when he saw the young lady that walked into the club. Apparently they were not they only one whose attention the young lady had aught. The other men in the club were also drooling over the girl who just entered the room.

She wore a black satin skirt that covered her knees and clung to her tiny waist and a see through tube top, which was covered by a white tweed coat. Her hand was adorned in the finest jewelry and her feet covered by a pair of 6 inch pumps. Her face was covered by a veil, which was held on by her hair bun.

Though the black veil covered most of her face, it could not cover her doll like face from a bystander's view. Her eyes were large and round resembling those of a fairy, she made her way through the club and sat down quietly in the table across form the F4's. She gently crossed her leg and held her white clutch in her lap. The waiters fought each other to take her order, each hoping he would catch the lady's eye.

She looked throughout the crowd, her eyes stopping at the bar. Then she turned her head and looked at the direction of the F4's table. The occupants of the table drew in a sharp breathe as the saw her face which they could now see clearly due to the fact that she was facing their direction. She was beautiful almost unreal. She cocked her eyebrow ever so gently, curving her perfect lips into an elegant smile. Getting out of her seat, she walked towards their direction.

The truth was each one of them hoped that she was approaching him, hoping that he was the one she was smiling at. As she neared the table, her smile widened showing a perfect set of teeth. And within that short moment, the F4 really thought she was heading away when they all were surprised that she walked to another table, greeting another man with a handshake and a friendly hug.

Tsukushi greeted the Kin happily, shaking his hand and giving him a short hug, which did not go unnoticed by the F4. She smiled, glad that she had kept their attention with her appearance. The rest would be simple.

"If looks could kill, I'm sure every man and woman in this room would be dead." Kin said, lazily drinking his vodka.

"Why?" Tsukushi asked confused.

"Because you are drop-dead gorgeous. You don't even look like you belong here."

"Kin, you were always good with your words."

"Flattery is one of my skills."

"You mean flattery towards yourself?" Tsukushi said smiling teasingly at Kin who cocked his eyebrow up in surprise.

"It hurts me to hear that that's how you think of me."

"Don't be sad, Kin. Its good that you flatter yourself, no use wasting breathe on other people when you are more beautiful than they are." Tsukushi said sarcastically turning her attention back towards they crowd.

She almost let out a laugh when she saw that the F4 still had their attention on her even though they were not looking directly at her.

"I told you when you get older you would have men kissing the ground you walk on."

"Oh, Kin, you're making me blush."

Kin rolled his eyes and waved a waiter over to their seat. "What would you like to drink, precious?"

"Pierre."

"Of course."

"And I advice you to stop drinking, it will do nothing but kill you." Tsukushi said shaking her head.

"But it does make me look rather charming, does it not?"

Tsukushi let out a soft chuckle at Kin's words.

Rui sighed standing up and getting ready to leave.

"Where are you going?"

"Home. Sleep." The other members of F4 sighed, it was Rui after all, and who could blame him?

"I'm leaving, too." Soujirou said standing and walking out after Rui.

"He's going to find someone to fuck." said Akira with a light chuckle before he also stood up and walked out after patting Tsukasa on the shoulders.

Tsukasa sat there downing what was left of his drink when he saw the man that has been talking to the veiled girl leave. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, seeing if she was leaving or not.

He couldn't help but feel a little curious about her. What was her name? Who was she? What was her relationship with that guy? He had to admit this was the first girl he felt remotely attracted and curious about her. He couldn't help it. Maybe it was the veil.

He sat there waiting for her to leave so he could "accidentally" bump into her. He sighed when he realized she was not leaving anytime soon. Pushing his chair back to get out of his seat, Tsukasa felt his seat bump into something.

He turned his head around, ready to snap at the person when he saw someone's chest in front of his face. And the worst thing was his face was now leaning on that person's chest. He felt the person pull away and stumble back.

His face turned red when he realized who it was, "Excuse me, I'm sorry."

"No, its all right, I know you didn't mean to." The lady said and took off.

Tsukasa ran after her and held her back by her wrist, "Erhm, excuse me, but I'm sorry about what happened back there."

"I said don't worry about it." Tsukushi said curtly and pulled her wrist out of his reach.

"No, I mean yes, can I have your name and I can take you out sometime for a sorry lunch?"

"There is no need."

"No, I insist. Here, how about you give me your name."

"You just don't give up, do you?"

"Not when I'm trying to be sincere."

"Tsukushi Makino." Tsukushi said and walked away before Tsukasa could pull her back. She smiled to herself, all you had to do was get their attention and they would make the first move themselves.

Tsukasa stood dazed, looking at Tsukushi's retreating back. Tsukushi Makino. Tsukushi Makino. The words repeated over and over in his head. And before he knew it, a rare smile graced his lips. He would make sure to get her attention. He would make sure that she would fall in love with him.

****

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I guess it ends there, sorry if this is really bad. I'm fairly new at this writing thing. Please forgive me if anything was really badly written. I don't have the best grade in English. It might be a little draggy so please forgive me on that part. Please review, it really helps. More than you would think.


	2. Breakfast

**__**

Playing with Fire

Chapter 1: Breakfast

Disclaimer: Same as usual…

Thank you all other reviewers.

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Tsukushi watched silently, waiting, expecting the world to take her down. For everyone to appear from the shadows of her own mind and kill her. It's funny how the only person capable of killing her was herself and yet she never had the guts to do it.

The wind blew endlessly around her, the cold breeze cutting her ever so slowly. She continued her pace, her mind trapped in a reverie. Her soul trapped in her heart. But as much as she wanted to, she could never run away from herself. There would always be that shadow lurking around that she could never get rid of.

She continued walking, making her way back to her house. Her feet came to a halt in front of a small, elegant house. 'Great fucking surprise.' She thought harshly to herself. This house. The bitch really knew how to play games.

Meeting Tsukasa Doumyouji was only part of her mother's plans. She always had so much more planned. Tsukushi smiled lightly, making her way into the little house. Her eyes became misty, but it wasn't tears, it was filled with pure hatred. Her smile slowly faded as the past she had tried so hard to push away once again returned.

'No. I don't need this shit right now.'

The house was filled with lights, laughter hung through the air. That of a little child and her parents, their voices were muffled, but their love was clearly heard.

Moments of happiness in her past came rising up, taking her back to the better times. That small amount of time.

She entered the hallway of the little house, hearing her voice running down the hall screaming for her parents to come open the presents. Right now, she was an outsider to her own past. She was so far from the little girl she had once been. She didn't even belong here anymore.

Then, just as quickly as the happiness came, the horrifying darkness followed eating it up and burying it deep into her heart.

The walls were smeared with blood just as it once had been. The floors filled with decapitated bodies and the air heavy with the stench of death. She could still hear the screams, the shouting, the footsteps of her parents and her own haggard breathe.

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. She stayed under the bad the whole time, shivering with fear.

Her eyes widened when she saw her father walking into the room, her mother walking behind him and a trail of blood following them.

Crash. The door burst opened.

"Did you think it was going to be that easy?"

"Hana. You've come to join the party?" Her mother asked, her voice pleasant yet dangerous.

"No, I've come to gather the gifts."

"Their in the hallway."

Many footsteps followed the brief conversation; she could still remember seeing the feet of this Hana just opposite of where she lied. Her father fought bravely, her mother at his side.

She was the only one hiding.

Within mere hours, her parents were standing in the room, a large amount of feet surrounding where they stood.

"You betrayed the clan. You betrayed us all."

"There was no clan. It was all so messed up that even you couldn't keep track anymore." Her father voiced holding onto her mother's hand.

"I guess you two do keeps to your wedding vows. 'Til death do us part. Well, I'll help you keep that promise. Tanaka."

The man named Tanaka, made his way towards her father, his sword running against the red carpet as he did a little turn. And within moments, Tanaka too was down. But another man had strike her father. He fell down, his breathing barely audible. Her eyes widened, how could this happen. Her father was such a great fighter.

I love you. I love you. The words rang like bells in her head. Killing her from the inside.

Until his last moment, he had mouthed, "I love you".

"Why didn't you stay with me, Chieko? I would have never got you into this shit."

"I would have never stayed with you because you were too much of a coward to ever get into this shit. My husband loved me, that's why he got me away from the clan."

"And where is your husband now? Dead. On the floor. He couldn't even protect you until the end."

"Fuck you. My husband had more than you could ever offer, that is why you came. Fuck the betrayal. Fuck the clan. You came because it was too late for you and Hana to make anything of yourselves without us. Betrayal, no, this isn't because of betrayal, you all just wanted to make something of yourselves. So you make up an excuse to kill us."

"You drugged our drinks. We were too much for you to handle. That is why you had to use this underhanded trick. You piece of useless shit. You kill me now and you will live to see your own merciless death."

"Aw, how cute. She even told us good bye, Rei."

And within mere moments, her mother was too on the floor, dead. I love you. I love you. It was in her eyes, in was on her lips but she never mouthed it before she too died.

"Now that is a fairy tale ending." She then heard the ringing of laughter fill the barren house.

Click. Click. Click. Heels, footsteps. Someone else was here.

The lady stood at the end of the bed, looking down at her feet. Se then got down on her knees and looked under the bed.

And that was how she met Sakura Shinji.

She remembered the older woman picking her up and taking her away from the house. She was five. And since that day, she never forgot what happened. In her dreams, she relived every moment of that night.

I love you. I love you. Endless ringing. Her father's lips, her mother's eyes. She needed to get away, she needed to get out.

Within moments, Tsukushi was out of the house. Her hair fell freely around her face, her veil was off and she was running as fast as she could away from the hell she had once lived in.

****

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Rui walked aimlessly, his eyes fixated on his own shadow looming ahead of him. He couldn't see the people around him, for all he knew; it was just him and him alone. But the truth was. He was never lonely. He was completely happy like this. He was content and for a

second, he almost smiled at his own stupidity.

He was happy. He was not alone. Lies. Stupid lies. Everything was a lie. Everything is a lie.

Rain started to pour down on him as if crying for him. Crying for him and his mother.

Maybe that was it. He continued his slow steady pace, passersby staring at him oddly. He was like a sad angel. His eyes a reflection of a beautiful lake. So hauntingly beautiful, it was hollow.

His eyes traveled to the sky, letting the rainfall on his face. Drop. Drop. Drop. "_Rui, come out here honey. Isn't it great?_"

"_The rain is good for your hair, you know that?_"

"_Rui…Rui…I love you…_"

"_Rui, your mommy's little angel…"_

Mommy's little angel. He thought as he closed his eyes lazily, the raindrops got heavier and heavier by the second. His stood still in his spot, face tilted up to the sky. Rain drops covering his face. Dripping down to his shirt, washing him. He was coming clean. Tonight he would come clean.

Rui opened his eyes when he felt something bump into him. The figure fell back a few steps before bowing and once again taking off. Her short hair, flying back as the wind and rain

brushed her porcelain face.

"Mother…" Rui whispered aloud, when he saw a handkerchief drift slowly in his direction.

The wind carrying the small silk fabric to him. He grabbed it and stared at it. TM was quilted on it along with a picture of an eclipse. He slowly brought it to his face, it smelled like his mother.

Without knowing it, Rui ran after the girl. He held the handkerchief close to his chest, squeezing it tightly in his hand. He needed to find that girl; he needed to find his mother. The rain fell on the ground, Rui's footsteps splashing the many puddles onto his pants. His shirt clung to his body, he felt heavier and heavier as he continued running.

He slowed his pace, sitting on the ground rubbing his hands over his weary face. He felt the

rain stop and looked up to see Akira holding an umbrella over him.

"Rui?" The red haired boy as worriedly.

"Akira."

"What are you doing here, Rui? And what is that in your hand?"

Rui quickly tucked the handkerchief into his pocket before getting up and shaking his head.

"Nothing is wrong, I just like being in the rain."

"Oh. Well. Why don't you accompany me tonight, my date got interrupted."

Rui gave Akira an indifferent look before following his friend towards the café near by.

****

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Tsukushi continued her fast pace, earning her odd looks from the many people walking in the street. But she didn't care, right now; she just had to come clean. Right now, she had to run away. Right now, she had to forget her past.

She reached into her pocket for her handkerchief and couldn't find it. 'Where could it be?'

She shrugged slightly and walked towards a nearby café. Entering the brightly lit café, she sat down in a table near the corner, facing the window.

Rui turned his head around, in the reflection of the window, he saw the girl again. The owner of the handkerchief, the girl who so much resembled his mother.

"Who are you looking for?" Akira asked looking towards the direction of Rui's eyes.

"Nothing."

And so the uneventful night continued with Tsukushi sipping coffee and Akira sharing stories of his many affairs with older women to Rui, who was thinking back to the earlier incident.

Time passed and Rui said his good-bye and left the café, Akira headed towards the club wanting to find some lonely lady who would more than glad to have his company. Tsukushi walked out the door around the corner. Tonight would never end, she just wanted to sleep but she was afraid now. Afraid of the images slumber would bring.

"Oomph."

"I'm sor-"

Rui couldn't believe his eyes. She was the girl form the club and she didn't look anything like his mother. He just thought she did, but her eyes were the vibrant fire he often found glowing in his mother's. Her hair was the same silky dark chestnut brown hair that would brush against his face when his mother rocked him to sleep.

And she smelled like the fresh picked lilac scent that caressed his nose every time his mother hugged him. Every time she was near the smell surrounded the room taking him to another place.

"How come you have my handkerchief?" Tsukushi pointed out when she saw the small white cloth hanging out of his right pocket.

"This is yours?" He decided to play dumb.

"Yes and I would appreciate it if I could have it back." Tsukushi said politely nodding at Rui's pocket.

"Oh right." Rui couldn't believe it, never in his life had he heard himself sound so dumb and shaken. 'This is probably the effect she has on everyone.'

He handed back her handkerchief and before Tsukushi could walk off, he pulled her back,

"What is your name?"

"Excuse me?"

"What is your name?"

Why does he care? He never cared but why did he care now?

"Tsukushi Makino." Tsukushi said quickly before walking away.

"Aren't you going to ask for my name?"

She stopped, turned her head and gave him an arrogant smirk. "No."

"It's Rui Hanazawa."

"Pleasure, I'm sure." She said with a sarcastic roll of the eyes and walked off. Rui could only stare after her with an amused smile.

****

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"Why are you smiling, Tsukasa?"

"Did I ask for your opinion?"

"No, but I like to give it." Soujirou said with a smile while Akira laughed lightly in the background.

"None of your business." Tsukasa said blushing slightly.

"Uh-uh, not when you have that cute little school girl blush on your face." Akira said leaning closer to Tsukasa as if ready to hear a secret.

"Well….I….there was this….ermm…"

"Damn, just spit it out."

"Did I ask for your opinion?"

"Arrgh…you damn virgins."

Tsukasa blushed brightly at the comment before lunging at Soujirou ready to strike the other boy. That's when Rui walk in with an equally bright glimmer in his usually cold eyes. No one would have noticed this small detail except his friends who was so used to see his cold and indifferent eyes.

"What's up with you, Rui?"

"Yeah, first Tsukasa and now you?"

"I met someone, that's all."

"Oh? When? Who? How? Where? Details man, details." Akira said as he plopped down next to Rui on the leather seat of the five star restaurant. He got slightly distracted when he heard whispers and gasps around the restaurant. His eyebrows shot up when he saw the many waiters running towards the door to greet the newly arrived guests.

"What's going on?"

The F3 just shrugged in reply. The got quite a surprise when they saw who just entered the restaurant, especially Rui and Tsukasa.

'Who would have thought?'

'Tsukushi Makino.'

Tsukushi turned her head towards the more reserved and quiet side of the room and saw the F4 staring intently at her. 'Wow, looks like I got more attention than I was intending to get.'

"She's hot."

"I call dibs."

"No, she isn't your type." Soujirou argued, getting out of his seat.

"Anyone can be my type, it's whether I'm interested or not." Akira shot back before smiling brightly and making way towards where Tsukushi was sitting.

"Excuse me, do you mind if we shit down?" Akira said politely, Soujirou leaning against him smiling seductively.

Tsukushi smiled before getting up and walking to a table just next to the window, opposite of her previous seat. Soujirou raised an eyebrow at Akira who returned the gesture, smiling widely, they both made way towards where Tsukushi was sitting but found themselves beat by Rui.

"Tsukushi Makino, it's a pleasure to see you here." Rui said, sitting down across Tsukushi with Tsukasa following him, scowling.

"I didn't expect to see you here. You either. I guess those two are your friends?" Tsukushi said turning around to look at Soujirou and Akira. She smiled charmingly before picking her purse off the open seat next to her and gesturing for the other F4 to join the trio.

'I wonder how long it will take to kill Tsukasa Doumyouji.' Tsukushi thought as she smiled lightly gesturing for the waiter to take their orders.

This would be a breakfast to remember. A breakfast of the predator and the prey.

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Aiyah. A bad ending to complete a horrible chapter. But please review as always. I'll be looking forward to your reviews. And thank you to my readers as well as my reviewers. I'll try to update as often as possible since I'm going to be on vacation all summer but I doubt I will have time. Please bear with me, I will update whenever I can.


	3. Forget me nots

**__**

Playing with Fire

Chapter 2: Forget-me-nots

The games we play, the games we don't, either way, everyone gets burned. There is no use in protecting yourself when the truth is so close, in the end, what really matter is that fate will go unchanged. Death is coming upon us.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Thanks all reviewers. As always.

I'm back and ready for more action, though inspiration is limited, and I'm as tired as hell. The idea of building the plot for this fic seemed too appealing to ignore. So here I am one again putting down words…to a very dry and bland chapter. Reviews are needed and very much welcomed. Hell, you can even cuss me out, but maybe …

something will click…and I will be filled with inspiration once more.

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The figure stood at the edge of the shore, her feet soaked by the waves. Coming in, coming out. The sound of the ocean filled her ears as scenes of the pass were once again brought up in her mind. _'Please don't forget me'._

She stood alone in front of the house, taking one last whiff of her cigarette, before she dropped it to the ground and uses her heels to put it out.

She turned her attention back to the house, her eyes scanning for movements but there was none. The light champagne shades were silent, unmoving, as if the house was caught in time.

A shiver ran down her spine as she pulled her coat closer to her small frame and walked away.

****

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She couldn't be called beautiful, in fact, she was as plain as the day but somehow even when she seemed to move in the shadows, one could not help but stare at her. The way she carried herself, it tells a story. The way her head is held high even when her eyes seem full of mock confidence. It tells a story.

Her heels clicked lightly on the pavement as she made her way back home, a scowl appeared when she reached the shabby building. She wasted another day; she ran a hand through her hair in weariness as she let out a sigh.

CLICK. The door to her apartment opened, revealing a small figure standing in the shadows. The young woman's eyes widened in surprise…or was it fear? She didn't know except looking at those stone cold eyes, she couldn't help but shiver.

"Welcome back." The person said, smiling lightly.

"Thank you and I must say the same for you." Makikko replied.

Click. That sound, she knew what it was. A gun. She looked up at the younger girl and laughed aloud, it was almost as if she was crazy.

How ironic.

"I can't (laugh) believe it (laugh)-" Laughs then turned into coughs which got louder and louder by the moment and she hurriedly held her hand in front of her mouth. She could feel the wetness as the red liquid emerged from her throat and onto her hand.

But now, more than ever, she couldn't control the laughter that once again threatened to emerge out of her throat. She smiled and thought sarcastically, _'The same way the blood did'_.

She heard soft footsteps as the young girl who had been standing in the shadows observing her walked towards her. She could almost see her smile as she kneeled down in front of her, bringing up a hand through put her hair behind her ear.

Moments later, a gun was held up to her forehead as her eyes filled with tears, she knew this day would come but she never would have thought that the cute little girl form back then would be the one holding a gun to her head 11 years later.

"I'm sorry." The young girl whispered before she pulled the trigger.

Makino Tsukushi stepped out of the building, her coat clinging on to her small frame as the wind blew her hair back. Her face returned to it usual cold mask as she crossed the street, somewhere in the background watched her as the person slowly backed away into the darkness of the shadows.

****

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A seven years old, Tsukushi stood on the railing of the 13th floor, feet held completely in place as she stared down at the people passing by. Her dark brown eyes still as she watched each one pass by. The wind blew her hair over her face as she felt someone grab her right leg.

She jumped but felt herself being pulled down and with that, she landed on the ground, eyes widened, heart beating loudly. She would have beaten up the person who did that but her anger melted when she saw who it was.

"Oh, poor baby, Kushi-wushi, did I scare you?" The older girl smiled as she pulled Tsukushi into a hug.

With her arms around Tsukushi, she smiled, saying, "I'm sorry I scared you, sweetie."

Tsukushi just kept quiet, as she listened, never making a move to hug the older girl back.

"You mean so much to me," she continued, still hugging the little girl, "I couldn't live without you."

"Promise me you'll never forget me; promise me we'll be together forever."

****

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Rrreeeng. Rrrreng. The sound of the doorbell woke her up from her dream; she stumbled on a few things as she made her way towards the door, only to be greeted by a delivery boy.

"Miss Makino?" He said in a monotone type voice. She nodded.

"Delivery for you, sign here." As he brought in the stuff, Tsukushi signed the pad and within a few seconds, he left.

She turned to the counter where he had put the package when she was signing the papers.

And there, on the marble counter laid a bouquet of forget-me-nots.

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New York, New York

"How did it go?" The cold, harsh voice rang through the air and the young man bowed and cleared his throat.

"Good. She finished it off." He said before bowing once again.

"Everything is clean? No evidence?"

"Yes, Madam."

"Great." She smiled, bringing her hands together in front of her face and resting her elbows on the table. With a simple gesture, she motioned for the young man to leave as she opened a few more files, signing and looking through them.

"Let me in." The young woman voiced out. An tone of confidence and power in her voice.

"Do you have a previous appointment, Miss?" The secretary asked, she was quite shaken by how the younger woman was looking at her right now but company rules apply.

"I don't need an appointment, in fact, I'll never need one." She said, looking straight through the secretary. Her eyes cold and penetrating. "There are some things you should learn. If I was a stranger, I would never be permitted up to this part of the building."

The secretary only nodded before she let the young woman through, letting out a relieved sigh that she still had her job. She then hesitantly buzzed the Madam telling her that she had

an "important" visitor.

The young woman opened the door of the massive office and walked in, only to be faced with the Queen looking out the window, as if she was enjoying the view. The younger woman just stood there.

That was the rules, no matter who you were, you don't speak until you are addressed. Well, maybe except for one. Though some might not see it, but there was a peculiar warmth in the witch's eyes every time she would talk to her. Makino Tsukushi was always an exception.

For some odd reason, she had an important part in Sakura Shinji's heart even if the woman claimed to not hold any strong ties to any of her "daughters". Well, that was what she called them; her private assassins were her daughters.

"You became even more beautiful." The Queen finally spoke up, not looking at the younger woman.

Indeed, she has. Her hair, which used to be short, was now to the middle of her back, its light brown color shined in the sun, as it would bounce slightly whenever she made a light movement.

Her oval face, large brown eyes, and cherry lips made her look like a walking, talking doll. Like a princess out of some fairy tale. She could have every man on the earth, but she only wanted one person. She only needed one person.

"It's nice to see you are well after all these years. Welcome back into the family, darling."

Though the sentence was loving, the voice in which it was spoken was cold and distant.

"I'm glad to be back, Mother." She said, with a bow.

"And I'm glad to have you back, my darling Shizuka." Sakura smiled, walking towards Shizuka and pushing a strand of loose hair behind her ear. "Now, lets get down to business shall we?"

****

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I think I'm going to be subtle about this. Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review!---Its like I haven't said a thing at all.


	4. Too little, too late

****

Playing with Fire

Chapter 3: Too little, too late 

Thank you reviewers.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

I haven't updated much, or at all, lately I've been so addicted to reading other people's story that I completely forgotten about my own. Let's hope this is a good chapter and let's hope the number of reviews dramatically increases. Or increase just a little bit. The point being, R&R.

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Step. 1. 2. Step. 1. 2. His rhythmic steps rang through his mind as the pure adrenaline ran through every inch of his body, the blood rushing through his veins, and the thumping rate of his heart increasing slowly one by one.

His footsteps slowly drowned away as he reached a bench in the park, slowing his pace and coming to a stop as he tried to calm his breathing, he opened the bottle of water he once held in his hand and pulled its content over his head. The cool liquid, drenching his hair and his face as tiny drops of water ran down his cheekbones towards his strong jaw. Shaking the water out of his hair, the young man inhaled before picking up his feet and running again.

He couldn't believe how early it was or why he was at a park running instead of lying within the warmth and comfort that his bed provided. And as he sped up, the pain burning in his legs was forgotten, the chill of the wind on his face was discarded, and the wetness of his soaking shirt was put aside and what was left was the building temptation to take a detour.

He needed to get away from the order of his life, he wanted change, and he wanted to not be the person outside looking in. He wanted to understand what contentment was. While the clouds darkened, he continued running, his eyes a dull shade of gray were not the shiny silver orbs they used to be and as the rain poured over him, he continued running. He ran until the burning sensation in his legs spread throughout his body and he was so lightheaded that the mere thought of continual was painful. But that didn't matter, pain was only the beginning.

Rui would have stopped, he could have stopped before the slow rhythmic steps once again faded out, but his heart yearned for one look though it was only a glimpse. Rui came to a stop just off of an abandoned house. Its tall walls, standing proudly, loomed over the houses near it. His eyes searched for some kind of movement, some kind of evidence that it was indeed not trapped in time. But all he got in return was an eerie silence, and as the wind blew open the gate, it swung back in place, the hinges squeaking loudly.

So the wind blew and the gate squeaked, and Rui stood there, lost in his own thoughts when he saw someone coming down the road, towards the house. He turned, his face clouded in passiveness, as he stared blankly at the figure. And before he knew it, he was facing a beautiful woman, her hair swept into a bun, her shoulders pulled back, showing the traces of the proud woman she must have been in youth, except now wrinkled and weary, time clearly had gotten a somewhat better hold on her.

She smiled kindly at him, though it seemed stiff, a smile was a smile but her smile was not returned, instead he turned to leave. His footsteps echoing, filling the silence reigning over the two, until there were no sounds left except the pattering of the rain when Rui suddenly stopped dead in his track, his eyes widening in shock.

He turned, the thunder roaring above his head, the woman with her umbrella, tipped low enough to cast a shadow over her face, showing off all her seriousness in the matter. "What did you say?" Rui asked disbelief in his tone.

She only smiled, "You heard me. I know what you want, I know the secret, and I hold the key to that lock." And she turned, walking away but he managed to catch up with her.

His tone, masking the curious glare brushing past his eyes, "What do you know?"

"Uh-uh. I can't give you that information without something return." She smirked, her eyes wrinkling at the edges.

"What do you want? Money? A job? Expensive houses?"

"Come on, Rui," She stopped, pondering her words so that the information she was about to give away would hit him hard enough, "I'm sure Kara taught you better than that. Wasn't it your mom's saying that material things wasn't important?"

And he paused, gulping slightly, "What do you really want? How do you know my mother? How do you know my name?"

And she smiled, "I know more than you think. In fact, I know more about you than you ever will know about yourself." With that, she beckoned towards a car, the driver quickly getting out, opened the door and bowed, respectfully.

She smiled, stepping into the car, "Here," she gave him a small card, "call me after you think this through."

Then she left, leaving Rui staring after her car in surprise, the card in his hand.

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"Is that all you can do? Sit there like a lost dog, waiting for its master?" He yelled gruffly, running his hand through his hair, "I don't have time for your fucking whines, suck it up, and don't cry in front of me! Oh god! I don't want to see you."

She didn't reply, and as she heard him storm away, the stench of alcohol and sex immersed within every ounce of his being, she looked up. Then slowly, she cleared the table, the tears still streaming down her face.

Yuuri stopped when she felt someone tug the hem of her skirt, "Mommy, what happened? Why is daddy so mad?"

She didn't reply, what she did in reply of the innocent question was hugging the little boy standing in full height at her knees. She pulled him closer and closer towards her, tightening her grip on him until she could hear him inhale a large amount of air.

"Mo...mm…y?" He managed to let out in between large gasps of air.

"Soujirou, my baby Soujirou, will you promise to never disappoint me?" She asked lovingly, tightening her grip as her nails dug its way into his skin and she heard him gasp in shock because of the pain.

Pulling him away slightly, she looked up at him, love and tenderness filled her eyes, and Yuuri dug her nails deeper, "Will you ever disappoint mommy Soujirou?"

He replied by shaking his head and then she loosened her grip on his arm, hugging him caringly and comfortingly, "I won't ever disappoint you either."

****

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Soujirou's cute smile ran through his face as he stared up at his mom, who was happily stitching a picture of a scarlet ibis on a piece of fabric. "Wow, mommy, it's so beautiful."

She smiled, but then flinched, and the young boy looked up at her worriedly, "Are you okay, mommy?"

She nodded her head, "Soujirou," she started, staring blankly ahead, "have you ever been pricked by a needle?"

He shook his head and she smiled, "It's surprising and yet, the pain comes in extreme for an instant and it melts away until you can't feel it at all. Until you forget that anything even happened."

Her voice slowly drifted away, her eyes cloudy as she stared blankly ahead, like lost in a trance. Was she still talking about needles? He didn't know, but he wasn't so stupid as to think that the hint of regret in her voice was because of a needle.

"Do you want to know what it feels like?" The little boy didn't reply and as he felt her burning gaze turn towards him, he timidly nodded his head, "Here, give me your finger."

And she pricked him, letting the blood run out of the little wound down his finger and she touched her finger with his. "Now, we are one." She smiled like nothing happened between the two and even though the tears had welled up in his eyes due to the sudden pain, he smiled.

****

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A boy of 16, Soujirou lounged carelessly along the halls of the silent house, its eerie surroundings resembled that of his parent's relationship. He closed his eyes, breathing in the heavenly smell of tea as it ran through his senses, calming his nerves. His eyes opened wide when he heard the rushed footsteps of his mother.

Her hair a mess and her dress clinging loosely to her body and his eyes coldly stared at her petite form. She shakily reached her hand up to brush his face, in turn, he knocked it away. She gasped, screaming, "What are you doing? You promised, you promised, you bastard, you promised me."

He could only dumbly stare at her until her shoulders shook with sorrow, the tears running down her face as she pointed an accusing finger at him, "You promised me. You're just like him, I hope you both die, I hope…"

Then she fainted, her outburst getting the better of her body, and as she fell backwards to the ground, he reached out to block her fall. Watching her limp body heavily pulling him down, as her neck fell backwards.

He let the maids run to her side, injecting a small amount of antidote into her body before nodding his head and beckoning them to leave him and his mother alone. Once they were out of sight, Soujirou picked her up, carrying her towards the garden wing of the house, where she usually stayed, where his dad had locked her. Soujirou found himself almost towards the room when he stopped, his conscience getting the better of the situation than his common sense.

Heeding his conscience's orders, he brought her to a gazebo in the garden where they spent most of his youth, him laying in her lap as she sang to him. The coldness and distantness slowly faded out of his pupils as he lovingly tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ears.

The moment he moved his hand away, he could feel her nails on him, grabbing a hold of his wrists. "Soujirou," she quietly whispered, "honey, how are you? I haven't seen you in a long time. Where were you?"

His smile faltered and he sadly put the mask back on, "I was at boarding school remember, mom?"

She pouted slightly, getting out of the sun bed where he had laid her, "Mom? What are you too old to call me mommy?"

He cringed his nose, "Mom, I'm 16."

She smiled back, getting out of the sun bed, and walking towards the garden, "Come along now, I have something to show you."

His mother turned and smiled back at him the way she used to in his youth when she had a surprise for him, like the world was their secret, but now, all her surprises brought along the side of her that he didn't want to face and the medication just didn't work like it used to.

She was falling and he couldn't hold onto her anymore.

Soujirou nodded quickly, following her, because he had promised to never disappoint her, no matter what happened. And he didn't like breaking his promises. He wouldn't treat her like his father did; he wouldn't treat her like the rest of the men in her life did. He, her son, would be different. He would be her salvation.

Slowly as the seasons changed so did his mother, he saw less of the woman she really was, instead he constantly faced the women she could be. When she screamed herself awake every night in her sleep, he would stay near her room, listening to her, tears in his eyes, choking sobs shaking his body.

Then when he knew she was sound asleep again, he would tiptoe over her room and watch her sleep, his lively eyes slowly dying with her. He would kneel down and hold her hand in his, he would whisper, "Don't worry, mom, I won't leave you."

It was almost peculiar how as the rest of the things in his life changed and grew, his mother never did. She stayed beautiful, light-hearted, unlike the things around her. As the roses she once planted in the garden withered and died, she remained youthful, like she was immortal. Never to change and never to hurt, a flower without thorns.

That was what he wanted to believe. It was what he hoped and prayed for. All he could do now was hope, there was nothing left. There wasn't any finality in that hope, he could hope and cry all he wanted but deep down, Soujirou knew he was losing against death.

The woman lying on the bed wasn't the woman his mother was, she wasn't the woman his mother was supposed to be. This woman seemed battered, old, fallen, and he couldn't accept it. So as his mom got worse, Soujirou disappeared more. The days withered and died, and he didn't show up, not to hold her hand, not to whisper into her ear when she slept, not to tuck the loose strand of hair behind her ears. To the world, Soujirou had let go of his mother and as he grip loosened on her, so did her salvation.

Soon, she was in her bed, not eating, not sleeping, her medicine having no effect on her and she waited. Her anger, hate, and sorrow brimming in her eyes as she waited for a husband that would never come home and a son that had given up on her.

****

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His footsteps pounded the floor of the hallway and it echoed loudly through the eerie silence and he stopped just in front of her door. He had promised not to disappoint her, he had promised himself that he wouldn't be like the other men in her life but he was never there. Now, because of his own insolent spite at the fact that he was losing her, at the fact that her sickness had gotten the better off her, he had left her. Alone.

Now, he would make up for all those nights he wasn't home.

He tentatively opened the door, making sure not to wake up the peaceful figure within the room, but she was awake. Her hair falling down to her sides, in large waves, as she turned to face him. Her eyes hollow while she smiled, the age and weariness in her face gone, like some miracle happened and his mother had returned.

Her smile brightened as she let out a soft "Soujirou" before reaching out to hug him, forgiving him for letting go of her. The moment he approached those arms of warmth and comfort, he found himself awake, beads of sweat on his forehead.

Soujirou turned wearily to his side, looking at the clock, it was 3:00 AM, he then turned to face the girl sleeping naked next to him. He looked disgustedly at her, before picking himself up out of the bed and putting some clothes on. Soujirou trudged out of the hotel room, closing it silently and soon he was wandering in the streets.

Two years had passed and within those two years, he had lost all connections with his mother. She was still there but he avoided going home, avoided seeing her.

The rain poured as he continued walking, and the light ruffle of leaves as they slowly fell down to the ground got Soujirou to look up at the sky, and once he did, his eyes widened. It was a crescent moon, the first of the whole month, and his eyes searched for a star, always to the north and on the left of the crescent moon, but this time, he couldn't find that bright star. Instead what he found was the small dimming light in its place.

It was his mother's star and something told him, something beckoned him to go home. Before he knew it, he picked up his slow footsteps, sprinting madly for the direction of his house, praying slightly in his head that this wasn't an omen. The moment the huge gates come into view, Soujirou sprinted madly, at inhuman speed for the gates, pushing them open and eventually pushing the door of the house open. He continued his swift pace towards her room, his heart pounding, his footsteps echoing loudly through the house.

The room was at the end of the hall, silent and calm, like his mother, and without another thought, Soujirou pulled opened the door, hoping that his mother would be sitting there, like in his dream but he couldn't find her. He wanted to see her, sitting at the gazebo in the garden but disappointingly, she wasn't there. _'Soujirou, Have I ever told you how much I love that lake? I wish I could be by this lake forever.'_

The memory came back almost instantly, he closed his eye and breathed calmly, his brain told him not to go to the lake, his instinct told him not to but he pushed both out, walking slowly onto the deck, until he was standing on the deck, closing his eyes as though mustering up strength to open them.

Soujirou's eyes opened and he moved forward to look down into the water and what he found would haunt his dreams forever. Amid all the water lilies was his mother, her beautiful hair floating next to her face, her eyes closed peacefully and her dress clinging to her body. Without a second thought, he jumped into the lake, grabbing her body and hugging it close to his as he pulled her onto the ground.

Tears ran down his face as he held onto her body, sobbing like the lost little boy he really was. Under that manly confidence and that to kill for smile, Soujirou was just a little boy. His tears didn't stop and they streamed down his face onto her pale one, the two stayed like that for the rest of the night. Soujirou crying, his mother dead, limp in his arms.

****

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Call Yuki in here." The older man sitting behind the desk grumbled his voice hoarse as he slammed some files onto the already messy desk. A light knock on the door and he turned his head up enough to see her face, she smiled tentatively upon seeing his glare/

"Sit down." He ordered, nodding at the chair facing his desk which she willingly took. "You're not the best, fuck, what the hell am I saying? You are not the biggest cop, but hell girlie; you're the best on the team."

She nodded, tiredly, hand holding her cup of coffee, "I think you should get to the point, sir."

He grumbled again, throwing her a tired glance, "I've got an undercover case, it's not much right now, but if you get more evidence, we could throw in a whole team."

She laughed, yawning slightly, "Is this about the murder of James Smith? He is an American ambassador-"

"Residing in Japan, the government won't let us off the case until we know who killed him. Damn those Americans, they'll be on our asses, accusing us of mistreating their ambassador, or worse, they'll think its one of 'us' who did it."

"I understand, so as of this moment, I am…" She started lamely, beckoning him to give her the files containing her new identity.

"Miki Yaishawa, 23. You just check up on the last bit yourself. Remember, no guns or weapons, nothing risky, I just want background information. I want you to head off to your new relocation address immediately, so go home and pack your bags."

"Hell, go home and pack my bags? You have to be fucking kidding. Start right away? You could have said something a few days earlier sir, I can't just move into a new house." She grumbled before snatching the file and bowing briskly heading out of the room and eventually out of the building.

Still mumbling obscenities under her breathe, the petite girl made her way down the street, headed for home. What she didn't know was that this small case would be one of the most important cases of her life. What Yuki didn't know was that, somewhere down the road, deep in the net of truths and hidden secrets, she would have a few confrontations that just might change her forever.

Sometimes in life the truth is just right under our noses, other times, it's just about a mile away. Literally.

As Yuki walked home, a tall woman sipping coffee harmlessly across the street watched her silently, a smile turning at her lips. _'She's all grown up. I never expected her to look so much like her father.'_

The woman then stood up and threw a stack of bills on the table and walked away, hugging her coat to her slim figure, a smile still dancing at her lips. It had been years and yet, she still hadn't forgotten the little girl. Who would have thought the little child would still be alive? She was a cop at that,_ 'Oh_ _very much like her father indeed.'_

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It's all just introductions; I think I'm in for more than I bargained for, this story might just take me forever. The inspiration is always limited so I'm asking for reviews; something about those little notes of encouragements always help the brain.

Questions I will answer though all these chapters have just been background and introduction. Everyone in this story has a story of their own, I have yet to tell much of Rui's or Tsukasa's or very much any other characters, except Tsukushi's and Soujirou's had been almost completely told. Why Soujirou? I don't know, I guess it's because of cuddled-milk's story. God bless her, she's a wonderful author.


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